New Zealand, Los Angeles, New York, and Lots of Food

In today’s tight-lipped update, I’ll say that I’m still exhausted from weeks of hiking in New Zealand, eating in Los Angeles, and working in New York. Apparently I only travel to dual word places. Anyhow, I literally was on boats, buses, trains, planes, cars, and armadillos in the past 31 days. Minus the armadillos. I was only piggyback riding on one. It was full of so much food (the good food in LA, not NZ…puhlease), and some great hiking, and many stories. Did I mention I went to Cirque du Soleil, too? Well, I’ve got some tight deadlines but will post a few photos from this month’s adventures.

 

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I’m in Myanmar

Yes, I’m in Myanmar, where internet is just about as bad as the acne all the oily food here is causing. Too much info, sorry. But I will be back in March to write an inevitably scathing review of this country. Just you wait! Until then, enjoy a small photo and get ready for some beautiful temple landscapes, sunrises, and more!

Weddings, Waterfalls, and One More Alliteration

A favorite of my wedding photos from Marina Del Rey, Bronx, NY. Shot with Jimmy Ryan Photography.

A favorite of my wedding photos from Marina Del Rey, Bronx, NY

Well, I suppose wacky is what I might call the recent chain of events and situations. Perhaps I should have thought of that descriptor back when I wrote the title, but it’s far too late now.

For the past month I’ve been busy almost every week and weekend with weddings, wildlife, and otherwise slightly wacky events. I combined some of my wedding trips so I could see waterfalls, like this out-of-the-way beauty in the Delaware Water Gap.

Pennsylvania waterfalls are beautiful even in the rain

Pennsylvania waterfalls are beautiful even in the rain

From the You Know You’re in Pennsylvania When… signs (you’ll see one in just a minute) to odd nature, nothing compared to the premier of Art and Craft, a fascinating documentary about Mark Landis. For those of you unfamiliar with this art forger, Art and Craft—whether you care for art or not—will interest you as it details how Landis created his copied masterpieces—and how he eventually (and slowly) got caught. After duping dozens and dozens of museum curators across the country, he was eventually discovered–but not until the FBI had heard about him first. This talented and extremely smart (though delusional) man faked names, faked art, and even faked being a priest.

But while I tried to blend into the background as the photographer for the movie premier, Landis actually walked over to me and introduced himself. He said he wanted to meet me because he had studied photography in school, but then never found anything he wanted to photograph. Yes, he uses this line in the film. And as I stood next to him throughout the night, it appeared he had his act under control. Sure, he’s fascinating to be around, and yes, I believe he’s fully aware of how odd he appears to everyone else—and likes it that way. His slow stuttering and drawl remind you of Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote. It’s hard to listen to and slightly disarming—but I believe Mr. Landis loves putting people off while making them all jealous of his notoriety. A wonderful film it was for sure, though photographing this deathly pale man was no easy feat! For once I was not the whitest person in the room. Below, one of my favorite shots is this slightly disturbing reflective portrait I took of Mr. Landis in Lincoln Center.

A portrait of Art and Craft's Mark Landis

A portrait of Art and Craft’s Mark Landis

Aside from movie premiers, the past month was full of weddings—and there are more to come! While I never imagined I’d be photographing so many weddings around the Northeast, I do love using creative lighting and angles to make the most of the scenery and subjects. Oh, and the food ain’t bad, either! Except wedding cake. Wedding cake is always bad. Always. Don’t tell me, “Oh, but my wedding cake was different. It was done by a local baker and I did lots of taste tests everywhere and this was the best.”

It was bad. I’m 100% positive of this statement. But here are some wedding photos I love from the past few weeks. Let them make your heart grow a little less hatred.

When I haven’t been photographing weddings or movie premiers, I’ve been attending weddings. Here’s an awesome sign I saw while driving to one in Pennsyltucky.

You Know You're in Pennsylvania When...

You Know You’re in Pennsylvania When…

As summer came to an end, I spent as much time as possible outdoors photographing. From waterfalls and birds (see the blue heron below!) to strange growths, green lakes, and newts, I thoroughly enjoyed our not-too-hot New York summer as much as possible. I’m still hoping for that end-of-year adventure, so we’ll see if one comes about. Until then, it’s all about weddings, waterfalls, and whatever little surprises come along.

Note: Several of these wedding photos were shot with Jimmy Ryan Photography. All other wedding, nature, and event photos were shot under my own company, Kathryn Cooper Photography.

Hidden Signs in Photos

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An In-Depth Look at What’s Lurking in the Background of Your Photos

Do you ever get home, look at your photos for the first time on a large computer screen, and then notice details you never before saw? What’s that in the background? What is he motioning? How could she be…OH my GO–! I know I see odd things upon closer inspection, and I wanted to clue you in on exactly what I found. Throughout my thousands of photos taken throughout 9 different countries in 2012, you can imagine that photobombs were so tame in the scheme of things, they didn’t even make the cut. 

Let’s start off with a fairly normal photo (and you can read through and then click to enlarge the photos, running through a slideshow all at once) so you can be as shocked and awed as I was. 

Take a look here (below). Can’t see much except a sand hill, right? Wrong, naturally. 

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Let’s look closer (below):

Yeah, weird…I didn’t know Mr. Revere was even still alive! Or that he visited India! So honored though.

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Let’s take a glance at a new photo (below) from Nepal:

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Big whoop, you say. A guy is asking for directions. But look closer now (below).

Holy eep, man

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And this was one of the small riots, too. Naturally someone was killed here later that afternoon, but I was safe and long gone by that time.

Okay okay, let’s get a bit more light-hearted. Here’s a photo I took of the incredible mountains of Thailand (below):

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And now, with the details you missed or perhaps weren’t even aware of!

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Oh, that’s…hmm. Maybe not so light-hearted.

You get the idea now. Since I know you’ve caught on, I’ll only include just the labeled photos for your viewing convenience. And because you’re probably still wondering about this post’s photo header (you weren’t), here’s the “background” on that one (below) too:

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Thanks for warmly welcoming me to India, ma’am.

Here’s a guy who went out of his way to welcome me to India (below):

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Thank you. I know I’m laughing in the photo but I was so, so frightened. Trauma? You bet your bottom dollar!
Moving on to a treasure hunt in Singapore (below):
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And now back to a sign in the mountains of Nepal (below):
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Oops.
Oh, you’ll like this one. Rad motorcycle tricks by a student of mine and his bro in India, bro (below)!
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And another typical scene from my second Indian apartment’s front yard (below):
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Just commenting, people, not judging. Calm down.
Nothing odd about this one, actually (below):
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And while we’re on the animal theme…here I am in northern Nepal (below):
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I, too, am saddened by this photo. And I thought being called a pig was an upgrade over heifer.
Last but not least, here I am during a huge conference of ours in India. I didn’t know what I was getting into when asked to pose for a photo (below).
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Needless to say, I had to weed guys out and only ended up with 4 of ’em.
So I urge you, citizens of the world…go back through your photos. Look closely, examine, and see what’s under the surface. I’m sure you’ll be dismayed at your findings; I certainly was. Enjoy!
Coop